Mass Effect: The Troubleshooter
by Jediferret
Summary: MacGyver finds a device with a message from 200 years into the future. While trying to get answers, an assassin from the future was sent to eliminate MacGyver by an ancient race.


Title: Mass Effect

Rating: PG-13 - for violence, some language

Summary: MacGyver finds a device with a message from 200 years into the future. While trying to get answers, an assassin from the future was sent to eliminate MacGyver by an ancient race.

Fandom(s): MacGyver/Mass Effect

Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

Author's Note: I wrote this story keeping in mind that some readers will not be familiar with the other franchise. If something doesn't make sense, please let me know so it can be fixed. Thanks! :)

Location: Los Angeles, California, Earth

Year: 1987

_There's nothin' like a good game of hockey to get the blood pumpin'. After the assignment I just had, I needed to let off some steam. What better way to let myself go from a man to a boy then bein' on the ice for a few hours._

_My name is MacGyver. I'm a troubleshooter that works for the Phoenix Foundation, a research and development think-tank. I go around the world and lend my talents to hopefully make the world a better place. _

_Little did I know that something would be waiting for me when I got home. This 'something' will not only change my life forever, but will effect the outcome of the future. I can only hope it will be for the better._

MacGyver sat in his Jeep for a while looking over the object he had just found in his houseboat. Not really sure what it was, he examined it carefully. It looked like a metal bracelet of some kind. It glowed and pulsated as he held it. It was warm to the touch as he ran his fingers over the smooth metal, looking for something to activate it. MacGyver was extremely curious about the device. It didn't look like a bomb or any kind of dangerous device. It looked more like a tool of some sort. His genius mind couldn't leave a good puzzle alone and this device was certainly puzzling.

He had found it laying on the floor near his couch, along with a large, black scorch mark in the wood flooring, as if it had just landed there from space. He had looked over his houseboat from top to bottom and found no evidence of any other devices or that anything was amiss. Taking samples of from the blackened wood where the device was left behind, he put in a call to Pete Thornton. Pete was not only the director of the Phoenix Foundation, he was also MacGyver's best friend. They had a brotherly, if not a father and son relationship. MacGyver looked up to Pete a lot.

He placed the device in a small box and placed it in the passenger seat. Starting up the Jeep, he drove from the Marina to the Phoenix Foundation building downtown. The streets were empty seeing as it was so late at night. He had spent far too much time at the ice rink then he had planned too, but he needed the distraction. The last assignment he was on not only exhausted him physically, he was pretty sure he needed to reconsider his line of work. He often did this when he got too close to losing his life, but always came to the conclusion that he was alive and if someone needed his help, it was his responsibility to help them... even if it cost him his life. Not really a thought he was okay with, but knew it was the right thing to do. Besides, a part of him knew that he would only feel guilty if he didn't do something to help others, but also there was always the curiosity of what would come next in his life. He was an adventurer, a discoverer, a creative genius who was only happy when he was on the road to something else meeting new people, making new friends and seeing new places. It was the bad guys that made life difficult for him and everyone else that he disliked.

When arriving at Phoenix, he parked his Jeep in the garage and passed the first security check point. A guard stood on duty, and nodded at him in recognition.

"Good evening, Jake."

"Good evening, Mac."

The two men smiled at each other as he walked passed. He took the elevator to the bottom levels of the building to the labs. Pete was waiting for him with a team of some of the best scientific minds in the country. MacGyver couldn't wait to figure this device out.

"Yeah... if it doesn't blow up in your face first." He muttered to himself on the way down.

Location: New York City, Earth

Year: 2186

The building was in shambles. Kai Leng didn't care. All he cared about at this point was getting to where ever that woman sent the device too, get it back and take out his target. He could hear the whispers in his head, giving him his orders. His target's face on the computer screen that was still selected from when that woman opened the portal.

Handsome and in his mid-30's. The man's smiling face and warm, dark eyes greeted him as he read the man's information.

"You're mine." Kai Leng said with a wicked grin. He may not be able to kill Shepard just yet, but this kill would satisfy his need for blood lust... at least for now. He knew the dangers of killing someone from the past. It would change history. But the Reapers wanted MacGyver dead because he posed a threat to them. He seemed weak. Nothing extraordinary about him at all. Just a dead man walking.

He walked passed the young woman's dead body that he had just slain. A shame, he thought. But, she chose to oppose him and Cerberus. A fatal mistake that cost the woman her life. No matter, her plan would fail. Wiping her blood off his blade, he sheathed his ninjato sword and opened the portal.

Location: Los Angeles, California, Earth

Year: 1987

MacGyver and Pete stood over the object, starting at it.

"What do you think?" MacGyver asked his friend, still looking at the object.

Pete made a face of confusion. "I have no clue. It looks advanced. Maybe far more advanced then what technology we have." He picked it up and looked it over for what seemed like the millionth time. "I agree with you though. I don't think it's dangerous either. Looks like a watch or communicator of some sort."

MacGyver's eyebrows shot up and his eyes grew wide. "Pete, you're a genius."

"I am?"

MacGyver took the device. "Maybe that is what it is! Some sort of communicator. It looks as if it fits on your wrist, right? So maybe... " He trailed off as he slipped the device over his hand onto his wrist. As he expected, the device seemed to know and shrunk down to fit his wrist. The warmth of the device seemed to grow and he could feel it hum.

"Mac..." Pete said with a worried tone.

"Come on Pete, where's your sense of adventure?"

"At home, in bed... where I should be."

MacGyver smiled at his friend. Suddenly the device just stopped. Tapping it with a finger, MacGyver started to wonder what just happened. Before he could really even start to come up with any reasonable conclusion, a bright light came from the face of the device. The size of a basketball, the light resemble that of an transparent eyeball.

The clear iris looked at MacGyver. "Greetings. I am Glyph." After a second of what seemed to be processing the man in front of it, it spoke again. "You are MacGyver. I have a message for you, would you like to see it now?"

MacGyver looked at Pete, who shrugged. He looked at the eye. "Sure?"

"Very well. One moment please."

A few seconds later, a large screen appeared in front of them. It was dark at first, but seemed to be moved by someone or something until a face appeared.

"Glyph. Can you hear me?" A young woman's face appeared. Her clear green eyes staring into the camera with a worried look. As the camera's focus became clearer, they could see dirt and dried blood on her face. Long, dark blond hair fell into her face as she wiped sweat from her forehead looking over the device. "Come on Glyph, answer me." She said in a nervous tone, her eyes darting away from the camera as if she was awaiting something to attack her. She gave a heavy sigh.

"I am operational, Chief Officer Myers."

There was a look of relief. "Good. We're out of time. Are you recording?"

"Yes."

The woman took a breath and looked into the camera with fierce determination. "I am Cameron Myers. An Alliance Officer on Earth in the year 2186. This device is an info drone called Glyph. Glyph will have all the information you need and will answer any questions you have." The woman stopped as a loud sound like that of a foghorn erupted from nearby. "This is important. An synthetic alien race of starships have invaded Earth and countless lives have been lost. We have no way of defeating the Reapers. We found a blueprint for a device called the Crucible that seems to be powerful enough to destroy the Reapers, but we found it too late. Our only hope is to send this device back in time with the blueprints in the hopes we can be ready for the Reaper attack. I would have come myself, but I need to stay behind to distract the Reaper forces while Glyph goes through the portal. There is a word of warning. More then likely the Reapers will send one of their indoctrinated assassins back in time as well to eliminate who gets this message, so be on the lookout. The device you're wearing is called an Omni-tool. Glyph will show you how it works. This is Chief Officer Cameron Myers of the SSV Normandy, signing off."

The woman stood, the camera still rolling. "Alright Glyph. You ready?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The camera seemed to float near the woman as ran to a nearby control panel. "Man, I hope this Reaper tech stuff works, or we're all screwed." The camera panned over her shoulder, recording the screen as she scrolled through a list of people. "We need someone smarter. No... no... not reliable enough." She stopped on a file and opened it. Showing a picture of MacGyver from his days as the DXS, she looked over the information. "Here we go... science degrees, physics, chemistry, a troubleshooter. Perfect. We found our guy." A few seconds later. "Alright Glyph get into position. We're opening the portal in 30 seconds. The camera panned away from her and floated to was seemed to be a metal cylinder on the floor, surrounded by red lights. It looked crude, almost evil. Black and silver machinery hummed as the camera turned and watched the woman continue to type away at the control panel. The building looked old and damaged. Something nearby caused the room to shake. Dust and debris fell from the ceiling. The woman didn't notice and continued to type away.

"Okay, starting countdown." The woman walked up to the camera again. "Just remember to shut down during teleportation, Glyph. I don't want you damaged." She placed something under the camera. It was the same device MacGyver found on the floor. "Start downloading to the Omni-Tool. Good luck, Glyph."

"Orders received. I will not fail you." As the countdown started and the downloading screen came up, an explosion was seen near the rear of the building. A single man walked through the smoke. He was tall, wearing black and gold armor and holding a Japanese sword in his hand. Long black hair pulled back into a ponytail, showing some sort of mask over his eyes. The video was clear as the woman bolted to the computer panel in an effort to get rid of any data. But she was too slow. The man ran forward with amazing speed, his sword drawn. In a fluid movement, he was right in front of her while shoving the blade into her stomach.

"Should have sided with me and the Illusive Man when you had the chance. A pity... you would have been a great asset." He said to her.

"You... will... never win... Kai... Leng... " The woman gasped.

"We'll see about that." He pulled the sword out quickly and she dropped to the floor in agony. He took notice of Glyph. The countdown at 10 seconds. Obviously, the man didn't know about the countdown, as he turned to the woman still alive on the floor. As the download finished, the last thing MacGyver and Pete saw was the man raising his sword over the woman's head and bringing it down. The camera went black.

The screen in front of MacGyver then vanished and Glyph returned, floating near him.

"You recorded all that?" MacGyver asked.

"Yes. It was ordered by Commander Shepard herself as proof of the claims presented to you. However, the death of Chief Officer Myers was not expected. A suicide mission yes, but she was a survivor."

"Could she still be alive?" Pete asked.

"Not likely. Her wounds were too great."

MacGyver sat in his chair in thought, tapping his chin with the knuckle of his finger.

"What do you think Mac? Do you buy it?"

"I dunno Pete. Seems kinda far fetched... however, if this is all real, I think we have an obligation here."

"Well, she obviously picked you for a reason."

"This is correct." Glyph said. "You were chosen for your service record and the good you've done in the past, not to mention your skills and personality. You were the perfect choice."

MacGyver frowned. "Great. There goes my time off."

Pete patted his friend on the shoulder. "Come on now Mac. Where's your sense of adventure?"

MacGyver looked up at Pete with a look of dismay. "At home, in bed... where I should be."

Pete smiled. "Maybe we should both get some rest. Sleep on it and try to get more answers from this... info drone in the morning."

MacGyver yawned. "I agree."

"I would like to point out that if Kai Leng has entered the portal, you are not safe at your residence. I would suggest finding a safe house of some sort to rest." Glyph said.

MacGyver made a face of disgust. "Man... you're going to be annoying, aren't you?"

"Yes."

Pete let out a laugh. "It seems Glyph here has a sense of humor."

"Oh man..."

"Come on Mac, you can stay at my place."

"I will store myself in the Omni-Tool and conserve power until morning." The floating eyeball disappeared in the device, leaving the room quiet and empty.

The two men looked at each other and silently left. MacGyver had a feeling he wasn't going to get much sleep tonight.

The next day...

MacGyver felt as if he was being watched. He laid on his side, facing the cushions on the couch, his face buried in a pillow that he was hugging under him. The warm comforter that covered most of him, including his head, wasn't enough to make the feeling of being watched go away. Not even bothering to try and figure what the eyes, or eye, belonged to, he knew it wasn't Pete. Pete could be heard in the kitchen. The sound of something being fried and the smell of coffee let him know that the older man was hard at work making breakfast.

"You should get up, sir."

"Go away..." Came the grumpy response from under the comforter.

"The fate of the galaxy is imperative. I can't do that."

A groan could be heard as MacGyver shoved the comforter from over his head and looked at the info drone hovering over his bed like a creepy one-eyed stalker. He ran a hand through his tousled hair before shouting for Pete.

Pete walked out with a grin on his face. "What's a matter Mac?"

"Can you tell this thing to go take a hike?"

"A hike? It is impossible for me to "take a hike" seeing as I have no legs and do not require exercise."

MacGyver eyed the drone in annoyance. "That was a joke."

"I am aware of that, sir."

"Oh man..."

"You have a few minutes before breakfast is ready. I'd shower if I were you." Pete said, still smiling as MacGyver grunted in response. The grunt meant that he didn't sleep well, but after a hot shower, the grumpiness would go away. Even in the worst mood, MacGyver usually got over it quickly. Pete heard the shuffling of feet as MacGyver went for the bathroom, his new friend in tow.

"No!" He heard MacGyver say. "You're not going with me into the bathroom."

"I was ordered to stay with you."

"I don't care. I need my privacy. You stay out here and don't come in, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you." There was a grumble before he shut the door a little harder then necessary. Pete continued to smile. At least until Glyph decided to watch him cook.

After a shower and shave, MacGyver felt a little better. He emerged clean and refreshed, the expression on his face was that of patience as Glyph buzzed around him like an over-sized fly.

Pete and MacGyver ate in silence, glancing at each other once in a while as Glyph watched them patiently. At least until MacGyver got annoyed again. "Are you recording us?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Behavioral analysis."

"Good thing it didn't go into the bathroom with you, eh?" Pete said.

MacGyver looked at Pete and frowned, but didn't answer. He, instead, turned his attention to Glyph. "So tell me about this... Reaper invasion. What happened?"

"In 2183, Commander Shepard found evidence of the Reapers via a Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. Shepard eventually found out that the Reapers were going to use the Citadel to come to this galaxy from Dark Space. She stopped the invasion by defeating a Reaper called Sovereign and keeping the Citadel's gate closed, thus leaving the Reapers in Dark Space. By 2186, Shepard found more evidence of the Reaper invasion from various missions she conducted around the galaxy. She attempted to warn the Citadel Council, but no one listened, acting as if the claims of the Reapers was nothing more then a myth. By the time those in authority did listen, it was too late. The Reapers arrived on Earth first and hit it at full force. Shepard barely escaped, leaving Earth behind to get help from other races. However, the Reapers hit the alien planets as well. At the time of being sent back in time, Shepard had been attempting to rally as many forces as she could before returning to Earth. I was the personal assistant to Liara T'Soni at the time. She had uncovered the blueprint for the Crucible in a Prothean artifact. However, it was missing a component. It was known as the catalyst. Liara and Shepard when to the Asari home world, but were ambushed by Kai Leng, who took the catalyst and disappeared. Cameron and Liara came up with this plan of sending me back with the blueprints in case they failed to get the catalyst in time."

"So this plan was a failsafe."

"Yes. Reapers had the technology for time travel, but working with Reaper tech was very dangerous."

"Why is that?"

"It is said that even a dead Reaper has some consciousness left. There were reports of scientists going mad when working on a derelict Reaper. They claim to have heard voices in their heads telling them to slaughter their fellow scientists. This is a form of indoctrination the Reapers use to control it's forces. The weaker the mind, the stronger the indoctrination. So just being near Reaper tech can cause indoctrination with the weak minded."

"How old are the Reapers?"

"Very old. Our records show that the Reapers have been around for at least a billion years. They arrive in this galaxy every fifty thousand years to conduct a purge of all organic life. They then return to Dark Space until the next cycle is up."

"Why do they conduct this purge?"

"The exact reason is unknown. It is believed that they wait until all organic life must reach their peak technological potential before they invade. It is uncertain, but it's possible they collect the technology to use for themselves. Shepard and Liara were still uncovering the truth behind the Reaper's motives."

"Who is this... Commander Shepard?"

"Born on Earth on April 11th, 2154. Shepard joined the Alliance Military at the age of 18. She is a graduate of the Systems Alliance N7 special forces program and was the first human Spectre to join the Citadel Council. She is a survivor and a gifted leader. She is known through out the galaxy as a hero and the greatest threat to the Reapers. If anyone is capable to defeating the Reapers, it's Commander Shepard."

"With a gun, I bet."

"Many guns actually."

"Why am I not surprised..."

"You're personal file states you abhor guns and violence."

MacGyver looked at his glass of orange juice. "That's right."

"I have video of the attack on Earth. Would you..."

"No... thanks. I'd rather not see it. At least, not yet."

"So what about this assassin? Kai Leng, is it?"

"He is a hired assassin that works for the Illusive Man, leader of a pro-human activist group called Cerberus. They were responsible for rebuilding Shepard after she was killed in action."

"Rebuild?"

"Yes. Her suit was damaged in the destruction of the SSV Normandy SR-1. She was flung into space, losing pressure in her suit, suffocating to death. Cerberus retrieved her body and used cybernetic implants to reconstruct and revive her."

"Sounds like Cerberus were the bad guys."

"They are. Though they claim they are for pro-human rights, they're main goal is power. They wanted Shepard to help them learn to control the Reapers so humans would become a more powerful race. Shepard didn't agree with this. She used Cerberus for her own goals, then turned against them. After returning to Earth to the Alliance for punishment, Kai Leng was sent to assassinate her. He is Cerberus' top assassin, and almost unstoppable. He's defeated Shepard twice now, but has failed to kill her."

"So, he'll be after me?"

"Yes. Though I am concerned he may try another tactic."

"Which is...?"

'Cameron Myers was born in this era."

"How is that possible?" Pete exclaimed.

"Cameron was born in the mid-1980's in Virginia. She was diagnosed with a serious illness in her 20's and was placed in cryogenic stasis until a cure was found. Though a cure was found decades earlier, her cryo-chamber wasn't found until 2182. She was revive and cured. She was rescued by Shepard when Collector's attacked the colony she was with in 2185. Because of what she has accomplished with Shepard, it would be logical that Kai Leng would try to kill her in this time as well. Kill her now and none of this will happen."

MacGyver and Pete looked at each other. "Do you have a current address for her? We'll need to get her into protective custody right away." Pete said.

"Yes."

Glyph rattled off an address, that MacGyver quickly wrote down. "I'm on it Pete. Just find us a safe house somewhere."

"Got it. I'll get you a seat on the next available flight to Virginia."

"And call the local authorities, would ya?"

"Will do."

MacGyver turned to the info drone. "Alright Glyph, you're gonna have to stay behind with Pete. People are not going to be used to seeing you floating around, so it might cause some panic."

"Agreed. I will stay inactive until you need me again."

"Mac... Be careful." Pete said as MacGyver headed for the door.

"Thanks. You too." He smiled at his friend once more and left.

To be continued...


End file.
